


looks like we're in for nasty weather

by blue_wind_gets_so_sad



Series: Mythical Newsies [1]
Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, Brooklyn's Here, Characters will be added as they appear - Freeform, Gen, Light Swearing, More tags to be added, davey doesn't actually show up until the second chapter but he's mentioned, davey is a good boy don't let him tell you otherwise, descriptive werewolf transformation, i would list the platonic relationships but there's too many, i've had this idea for weeks and i'm just now turning it into something, idk how to describe it, im so sorry buttons i love you, it focuses on the guys trying to figure out what's going on, les is a liar liar pants on fire but it's for a good reason, mentions of nudity, mythical newsies, obviously, race really does care i promise, the first chapter is just kind of like a background thing, they're all just really concerned, this was originally centered around just davey but i couldn't not include my boy buttons, werewolf davey, werewolf david jacobs, you guys can pry this from my cold dead hands aight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-23 02:26:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15596193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_wind_gets_so_sad/pseuds/blue_wind_gets_so_sad
Summary: (Title from Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Honestly, a huge bop if you ask me.)Something was wrong with Davey. It wasn’t unusual for a newsie to get sick. However, it was a bit unusual for one to take a day off of work each month. It took them all a few months to realize it, but once they did, they were worried.





	1. i see bad times today

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: None. (Unless there's something I missed. Tell me if I need to place a warning on something.)
> 
>  
> 
> Like I said in the tags, this first chapter isn't really anything big. If you like the boys being concerned for each other, then go ahead and read chapter one. If you're here for the werewolf ordeal, stay tuned.

                Something was wrong with Davey. It wasn’t unusual for a newsie to get sick. However, it was a bit unusual for one to take a day off of work each month. It took them all a few months to realize it, but once they did, they were worried.

                _“Hey, you guys think there’s somethin’ up with Davey?” Elmer whispered out into the dark bunkroom. Jack had already sent them all to bed, but there were often multiple newsies that couldn’t fall asleep until well after midnight._

_“What do ya mean?” Finch replied. The soft light coming in through the window illuminated the room enough to where Elmer could see Finch pretending to shoot things with his slingshot._

_“I don’t know. He was awfully mean yesterday. Snapped at Racetrack. I know Race can get annoyin’ at times, but it ain’t like Davey to do that. Plus, he didn’t show up today. I know Les said he was sick, but I don’t feel good about it.”_

_“Thank goodness someone else noticed. I thought I was paranoid for a while there. He’s been like that since he first came here. Every month, he’ll be real hot-headed one day, gone the next, then perfectly fine after that. It’s been worryin’ me for a while now, but I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up.” JoJo added, his last sentence ending in a yawn._

_“How about we talk about it in the mornin’? Some of us is tryin’ to sleep.” Race grumbled, half-asleep._

They didn’t talk about it in the morning. They would’ve, but they didn’t exactly have time to do anything other than get ready and go selling. However, the four did cast cautious looks at each other and at Davey until they went their separate ways to sell papers. Little did they know there was a fifth person involved in the conversation from the night before; he just didn’t speak up.

                _“Hey, Jack?” Buttons caught up with Jack as he headed to his selling spot._

_“Hey, Buttons. Need somethin’?” Jack responded._

_“I was wonderin’ if I could sell with you today. Some of the boys was discussin’ somethin’ last night and I wanted to talk to you about it.”_

_“Yeah, sure. What was they talkin’ ‘bout?”_

_Buttons took a quick sweep of the area before leaning a little closer to Jack. “They’s mighty worried about Davey. Not that I ain’t. Do you know if anythin’s up with him?”_

_Jack’s eyebrows creased in what appeared to be a mixture of worry and confusion. “I ain’t got a clue, Buttons. Why’s they worried?”_

_“Well, Elmer said that Davey was all heated up the day before yesterday and that he snapped at Racetrack about somethin’. Then, he didn’t show up to sell yesterday. Today, he’s perfectly fine.”_

_“Wh-”_

_“But wait. That ain’t it. JoJo said that that’s been happenin’ ever since Davey showed up. You notice anythin’ like that?”_

_“I…I notice him bein’ gone a day every month, but I ain’t never put much thought in it.”_

_They stopped walking once they reached Jack’s selling spot. “I’ma cut to the point. I don’t mean to go assumin’ anythin’, but you know about wolves? As in, werewolves?” Buttons lowered his voice to a whisper._

_“Yeah, I know about ‘em. Encountered a few before. What’s that got to do with- oh. Oh.”_

_“You like to look at the sky. What did the moon look like night before last?”_

_“Full. It was full.” Everything started to piece together in Jack’s head. The monthly absence, the anger, the- “Hold on, Buttons. If the full moon was the night before last, why was he gone yesterday?”_

_“You ever seen a wolf turn?” When Jack shook his head in response, Buttons looked away. “It ain’t pretty. I ain’t goin’ into detail, but they’s in so much pain the day after, they can hardly walk.”_

As time went on, the other boys began to catch on. Buttons and Jack didn’t discuss their theory with anyone else, due to the fact that some people didn’t like werewolves, but the boys weren’t stupid. Any of them who knew about werewolves had the same theory. One day when they were all at Jacobi’s Deli, Finch excused himself and took Elmer, Race, and JoJo with him. Buttons decided to follow.

                _“What is it, Finch?” JoJo questioned when they made it outside._

_Much like Buttons did with Jack, Finch lowered his voice and leaned closer to the other boys. “You guys know about wolves?”_

_“So I ain’t the only one with that idea.” Race took his cigar out of his mouth and twirled it around his fingers._

_“You mean…Davey? A wolf?” Elmer questioned. Finch and Race nodded, while JoJo stared at the ground with creased eyebrows._

_“I mean, it makes sense.” JoJo finally said._

_“But, wouldn’t he tell us?”_

_At that point, Buttons decided to come around the corner and join the small group. “He might be scared, Elm. You know how Davey is. Yeah, we’s his family, but wolves ain’t exactly well liked.”_

_“Well, even if he is, we can’t just go makin’ assumptions,” Elmer replied._

_The boys all looked at each other, but before anyone could say anything, Race popped his cigar back in his mouth and went back inside. Just a few seconds later, he reappeared with Les._

_“Oh no,” JoJo mumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew where this was going._

_“Say, Short-Stop. You know anythin’ ‘bout your brother he ain’t tellin’ us?”_

_“Race.” Finch shook his head._

_“I’ll give you a quarter, kid. How ‘bout that?”_

_“Race!” Buttons hissed._

_“Ah, c’mon, guys! You know Davey ain’t gonna-”_

_“What do you mean?” Les interrupted._

_Race chuckled, then kneeled down to Les’s level. “There we go!  Alright, me and the boys think somethin’s up with Davey. He’s been actin’ weird for a little while now and we’s gettin’ kinda concerned. You wouldn’t happen to know anythin’, would you? Anythin’ that might or might not relate to him missin’ a day each month?” Race ended with a large smile._

_“I ain’t got no clue, Race. Sorry. I mean, he gets sick a lot, but I don’t know anythin’ other than that.” Les responded._

_“Ah, please, kid. You sure?”_

_“C’mon, Race, leave him alone.” JoJo piped up._

_“Alright, alright. Here, take this. Go back inside, Short-Stop; we’ll be back in a minute.” Race handed Les a quarter and sent him off back into the deli. When Race turned back to the group, the other boys were just staring at him. “What?”_

_“Did you see it, JoJo?” Finch questioned._

_“I saw it,” JoJo replied._

_“So did I,” Elmer added._

_“Me too.” Buttons raised his hand and wiggled his fingers._

_“What did we see exactly?” Race started twirling his cigar around his fingers again._

_“His eyes got real big for a good two seconds when you mentioned Davey.”_

After questioning Les flopped, the five formed a plan. Five quickly turned to six, six turned to seven, and seven turned to eight. When the next full moon came around, the plan was put into action.


	2. don't go around tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The eight boys put their plan into action and, well, it isn't a good plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Descriptive transformation scene, mentions of nudity (NO SMUT), light swearing.
> 
>  
> 
> I'm sorry for this...but at the same time, I'm not??? There is a serious lack of werewolf content in this fandom??? And I will not stand for it???

                “Alright, guys. It’s getting pretty late. I should probably go.” Davey stood to leave. Everything was going according to plan. They asked Davey to hang out after selling hours and when he took Les home, his parents gave him permission. “ _I can’t stay out too late, though_.” He had said. When he made it to the door, Albert and Race blocked his path.

                “Guys? What’s going on?” Davey questioned with a chuckle, though it was obvious he was a little nervous.

                “We’s worried ‘bout you, Dave,” Albert responded. Suddenly, Finch and Mush joined Albert and Race at the door.

                “This…This isn’t funny, guys. I gotta go.” Davey was beginning to sweat and he started blinking rapidly. None of them budged aside from Finch, but that was to uncross his arms from over his chest and put his hands in his pockets in an effort to look less defensive. Davey huffed, squeezed his eyes shut, and clenched his fists at his sides. When he reopened his eyes, the cold gaze he sent the boys was so out of character it gave them chills. “Let. Me. Out.” He hissed through his teeth. The boys looked at each other, then back at Davey. They still wouldn’t move. He let out a growl that was a cross between human and animal, then whipped his head to the right. He noticed a window in the main room. He whipped his head back forward to look at the four boys, then darted to the window. However, before he could even make the effort to lunge, Specs was standing in front of it. “Specs, come on. Let me through.”

                “Let us help you, Davey. Please?” Specs simply replied.

                “I-I can’t be here right now, Specs, come on.” When Specs didn’t move, he took off into the room across the hall, but Elmer was blocking that window. “Shit,” Davey whispered. Elmer opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he saw Davey freeze up. Slowly, Davey lifted his head to meet Elmer’s eyes with his own widened ones.

                “Davey?” Elmer questioned.

                In a blur, Davey took off. They heard him pound upstairs and slam a door.

                “So, that went well.” Elmer moved away from his post and leaned against the doorframe of the room he was in.

                “It was a good plan until just now.” Race responded.

                “I don’t think we did the right thing, Racetrack.” Buttons said as he came downstairs.

                “Yeah, I don’t feel too good about this.” Mush agreed.

                “Boys, we’s just lookin’ out for him.” Race tried to reason.

                “I knows that. I just…I don’t think we went about it right.” Buttons explained.

                “What if he’s mad at us?” Specs questioned, cleaning his glasses with his shirt.

                Race sighed and dragged his hand down his face. He made his way up the stairs, followed by the other boys. When they got up there, JoJo had his ear pressed to the door of a storage closet and the rest of the newsies were crowded together a little farther down the hallway.

                “How’s he doin’, JoJo?” Buttons asked.

                “He won’t answer, but I can hear him breathin’ real heavy. I think he’s cryin’.”

                Race stepped forward and knocked on the door. “Davey? Dave, it’s Racetrack. You alright?” No response. “Davey?” No response. “Al, go get Jack.”

                Albert instantly took off into one of the other rooms. He opened the window, climbed out onto the fire escape, and quickly started his ascent to the top. Jack was leaned against the railing of his “penthouse,” looking up at the sky with a big smile on his face. “Crutchie? That you? Oh, hey, Albert.”

                “What, you disappointed it’s me?” Albert joked.

                “Nah. You need somethin’?” Jack’s smile didn’t fade.

                “Yeah. It’s, uh…it’s Davey. No time to explain.”

                There went the smile. “Davey? He should be at home. Why’s he-”

                “No time to explain!” Albert repeated, then went back down. Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed, then followed. When they got down there, both JoJo and Race had their ears pressed to the door, but they moved away when they saw Jack.

                “Davey? Davey, you alright?” Jack lightly knocked on the door.

                “G-Go away!” Davey’s voice sounded strained.

                “Dave, what’s wrong?”

                “Jack, please j-just go away!”

                “Davey, c’mon-”

                Jack was cut off by a bloodcurdling scream. Many of the newsies gasped, some stood still, and others turned away. The sound echoed throughout The Lodge and could probably be heard outside.

                “That’s it. I’m comin’ in.” Jack held his hands out to the side with his palms facing behind him, a gesture telling the other boys to move back. He takes a few steps back, then kicks at the door. Nothing happened, so he tried again. On the second try, the door flew open. Luckily, Davey wasn’t directly behind it. What they saw made even Jack freeze. There sat Davey in his underwear, his forehead pressed against the wall and his back facing them. Bloody claw marks covered the skin on his back and his shoulders, and there were various scratch marks in the wood of the floor and the wall. Jack took a deep breath and exhaled.

                “David?” He opted to use Davey’s real name instead of his nickname. At the sound of his real name, Davey slowly turned around. His entire body was dripping sweat, his body was jerking from the harsh breaths he was taking, and his hands were trembling as blood dripped off of his claws and onto his legs. He couldn’t bear to look at the other boys, so he focused on Jack. “Race, get the guys to the bunkroom. Keep ‘em entertained.”

                “But-”

                “Bunkroom, Racetrack.”

                Race nodded, then tore his eyes away from Davey. “Alright, boys. You heard Jack.” It took a few moments, but he finally got everyone to go down the hallway to the bunkroom.

                When he heard the door close, Jack cautiously sat down beside Davey. He gently moved the younger boy to where his head was in Jack’s lap. “Dave, I know the last thing you probably want right now is to be interrogated, but-”

                “No, go ahead.” Davey interrupted. He was actually enjoying Jack talking to him. It gave him something to distract himself from the pain.

                Jack started moving Davey’s hair out of his face as he asked questions. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

                “Didn’t want you to be scared…of me.”

                “Davey, no one’s scared of you.”

                “The g-guys are. I can smell it.”

                “I assure you they isn’t scared of you. They’s scared for you. Besides, half of them already knew. Buttons actually came to me about it.” Davey simply looked up at Jack in confusion, so he continued. “Dave, you think you the only wolf ‘round here? ‘Cause you ain’t. There’s two Brooklyn boys that end up in my alleyway when the sun rises sometimes. I always have to send our Brooklyn ambassador to take ‘em back.”

                “Heh. So that’s who I smell right now.”

                “Yup. Oh, and the biggest mistake I ever made was goin’ to the Bronx on a full moon. All I wanted to do was discuss somethin’ with their leader, but I ended up stayin’ there the entire night.”

                “Wh-Why?”

                “More than half of those kids is wolves. And, boy, is they wild.” Jack chuckled.

                Davey’s eyes widened. “Are they feral?”

                “Nah, they’s just excitable. It’s like hangin’ ‘round a bunch of pups. I couldn’t even leave, or else they’d follow me back to Manhattan.”

                Davey calmed down a bit and smiled.

                “So, yeah. Wolves ain’t new to us.”

                “Jack…y-you said Buttons came to you. What’d he say?”

                “Well, he was mighty worried. He said that a few of the boys- Elmer, Finch, JoJo, and Race- had been talkin’ ‘bout how they was worried and that they started seein’ a pattern. You’d be real aggressive one day, gone the next, then fine after that. They didn’t connect the dots until just recently, I guess, but Buttons caught on immediately. Now that I’m thinkin’ back on it, he sure did know a lot and he seemed kind of off when he was talkin’ ‘bout it.” Jack shrugged and said no more. They both stayed silent until Jack spoke back up a few minutes later. “…Davey?”

                “Yeah?”

                “How long has this been happenin’?”

                Davey took a deep breath and exhaled it shakily. “I…since I was twelve. The first time it happened…it was bad, Jack. Our father was at work and our mother was at home. I had Les. He was only five. We went out to run errands and we…we didn’t make it home. Les saw every b-bit of it. I mean, he’s going to go through it one day, too, but I hate that he found out that way. We were both terrified, but you know him. Even at f-five, he put on a brave face and took me home.” Davey lost his care for privacy and secrecy and just let it all spill out, tears included.

                “Oh, Davey…I’m sorry.”

                “It’s…It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re here, Jack. I always isolate myself so I’ve never really had anyone here with me when it happens, aside from that time with Les.”

                “I’ll always be here, Dave. Don’t you forget that.”

                Davey smiled and nodded, closing his eyes.

                “Hey…you is still you after you change, right?”

                “Yeah. As long as I’m not angry when I turn, I’ll always be-” Davey stopped midsentence as a wave of pain crashed over him. He clenched his teeth and whimpered, trying not to move around too much and accidentally hurt Jack. “-me.” He finished with a sigh as the pain subsided.

                Jack sympathetically smiled and swallowed to force the lump in his throat away. He cleared his throat and started talking again. “Serious question here. Should you be wearin’ your underwear?”

                “No, but I figured something like this was going to happen, so I didn’t want you guys-”

                “Privacy don’t exist in this household, Davey. Trust me. If you need to take off your underwear, then do it. I ain’t lookin’.”

                Davey contemplated his decision for a few seconds, then reached down and tugged his underwear off and tossed them into the pile of his clothes in the corner.

                “See? Ain’t lookin’.” Jack, with a small grin on his face, kept eye contact with Davey as if to prove a point. Davey just smiled and shook his head.

                Their smiles were short-lived, however. About ten seconds later, Davey jolted and his back arched off of the floor. He tried to clench his teeth against the pain again, but it was too much. His whimper turned into a scream.

                “J-Jack! It hurts!”

                “I know, Davey, I know. You got this.” Jack kept his voice calm.

                “Pl-Please! Make it stop!”

                “I wish I could, but I can’t. Don’t fight it, alright? Just let it happen.”

                When the pain went away, his screams turned into a weird mixture of grunts and growls. Jack moved a hand to Davey’s head and started softly scratching his scalp. Instantly, the sounds stopped. Jack looked down and saw Davey’s eyebrows raised, his eyes closed, and his mouth hanging open a little. When Jack stopped scratching, Davey whined and pressed his head into Jack’s hand, so he guessed he was doing something good.

                “Want me to call you a good boy?”

                “So help me, Jack Kelly.”

                “I was just wonderin’!” His amused smirk betrayed his excuse. Davey scoffed and Jack continued scratching his head. He relaxed into the affection, but because David Jacobs can’t have a moment of relaxation, it didn’t last long.

                Davey shot up out of Jack’s lap. “Jack, move.” It wasn’t a suggestion.

                “What?”

                “You don’t have to leave, but move.”

                “I-”

                “Jack, now, move!” Davey raised his voice near an unnecessary level, but his tone sounded more scared than angry.

                Jack jumped up and moved to the doorway. That’s when it happened. Davey started screaming again, but Jack could actually see and hear what was going on. He could see bones breaking, muscles reforming, and fur sprouting. His screaming seemed to never end, and when one bone in his leg ripped out of his skin, Jack had to resist the urge to turn away. He writhed all over the floor and dug his claws into anything he could find. Jack understood why he wanted him to move.

                “It’s alright, Davey. It’ll be okay.” Jack cursed his voice for breaking, but Davey appreciated the words of encouragement, even if he couldn’t force his mouth to form the words.

                Eventually, the screaming stopped. However, it wasn’t because it was over. Davey’s face was still scrunched up in pain and he was clawing at his throat.

                “Are you chokin’?” Jack asked. He started to move closer, but Davey held one of his hands out to stop him. He frantically tried to tell Jack something with his hands. Something about his throat and…rolling? Turning? An animalistic snarl tore out of Davey’s throat. “Oh.” Jack realized. Davey’s throat was reforming.

                The rest of his screams sounded like snarls and growls. It didn’t scare Jack, but it did make him a little uncomfortable since they were such strange sounds to hear coming out of _Davey_. Thankfully, he started to look more animalistic, which meant it was almost over. His face contorted and stretched into a snout, while his body took a form to suit a four-legged animal. His tailbone lengthened into an actual tail and fur rapidly spread across his body. Finally, it was over. A wolf laid in the spot Davey was just in and it looked up at Jack with Davey’s eyes.

                “Hey, Dave? It’s me, Jack. You there?” Jack inched closer to the wolf. The wolf nodded. “Ha! Good!” Davey huffed and tried to stand, but was wobbly. “You need help?” He shook his head in response. It took a few moments, but he eventually got used to his new body. Davey walked over to Jack and sat down, leaning against his legs a little bit. Sitting down, he just about came up to Jack’s waist. He pressed his head up into Jack’s hand again and Jack immediately went to scratching. It took every ounce of his being to not treat Davey like a dog, but he managed it. (As in, give him praises and forehead kisses, because Jack Kelly loves dogs, gosh darn it.) After a few minutes, Jack crouched down to where he was eye level with Davey.

                “Dave, I ain’t sayin’ you have’ta go in there, but me and you both knows that the guys are gonna want to know if you’re okay. So, you wanna go? Your choice.” Davey looked down, then looked back up and nodded. “Alright. C’mon.” Jack gave him a few more head scratches before standing up and heading down the hallway. He swung the bunkroom door open and took in the scene before him. Race was twirling his cigar around his fingers so quickly it was a blur. Albert had Elmer curled up in his lap, the latter covering his face with his hands. Finch and Mush were pacing the room in opposite directions. JoJo, Buttons, Specs, and some of the other newsies were helping out and calming down the younger or more sensitive ones. Jack cleared his throat and everyone stopped what they were doing.

                “Alright, so, I’s sure most of you knows what’s goin’ on with Davey. Some of you might not, and that’s okay. I’ll tell you. You see-”

                Albert raised his hand and wiggled his fingers. “Sorry to interrupt you, Jack, but where actually is Davey?”

                Jack’s eyebrows creased in confusion. “He’s right- Dave. Man. C’mon.”

                Davey had his feet- well, paws- firmly placed in the hallway. He whimpered and looked away from Jack.

                “Dave it’s alright. Nothin’ bad’s gonna happen.” Jack could’ve sworn he saw some movement that would’ve been him raising his eyebrows if he had them. “I promise.” Davey nodded once and crept into sight. No one looked scared. No one looked disgusted. Everyone looked…relieved. “See, Davey? Told ya.” Davey leaned over and lightly pushed Jack with his body, causing Jack to nearly lose his balance.

                Race stood up and walked over, then crouched down in front of Davey. He looked him up and down for a few seconds, then threw his arms around his neck. “I’s sorry, Davey. That was my dumbass plan.” The apology sounded a bit rehearsed, but it didn’t matter. When he pulled away, Davey gave him a lick to the cheek to show he accepted the apology. Race smiled and went back to his bunk. Buttons rose from another bunk and sank down in front of Davey. They maintained eye contact for a long time (it went on for so long the other boys were starting to get creeped out), but Buttons finally broke it. He smiled softly and instantly started scratching Davey’s head. He leaned closer and whispered something in Davey’s ear, then smiled brightly and nodded when his eyes widened. The others didn’t question it.

                The rest of the night was spent giving Davey attention (and some water after Elmer was the first to ask if he was thirsty) until Jack made everyone go to bed since they still had to sell the next day. Davey fell asleep on the floor, but Race was having an unfortunate sleepless night, so he picked Davey up and put him in his bunk.


	3. there's a bad moon on the rise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Davey wakes up, Race really does care, and Buttons is a mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none.
> 
>  
> 
> This one is much shorter than chapter two, but the ending is wonderful. You'll love it.

                The next morning, Davey woke up naked in the same bunk. He propped himself up on his elbows and saw a stack of (his) clean clothes with a note placed beside it on the bunk beside him.

                The note read, “Heya, Davey. Me and Al went and got Les. Folks was concerned, told them what happened, brought you some clothes. Hope you don’t mind. The kid’s in good hands. Aka: not Jack’s.

                Xoxo –Race

                P.S. Don’t think about trying to leave the Lodge. We couldn’t even wake you up this morning you were so wiped out. Les is fine. I promise. If anything happens, you can rip my throat out with your teeth or something.”

                Davey pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. “Idiots.” He had to agree, though. He was never in any shape to go anywhere after a full moon, which is why he always took the day off. He was a little worried about Les, but he knew that as goofy as Race acted, he wasn’t nearly as childish around kids as Jack was. He also knew that somehow Race and Albert ended up with Specs and Elmer at the end of the day, so there was a plus there as well. He stood up on shaky legs and started to put the clothes on. When he was dressed, he flopped back down on the bunk. As he drifted off again, he couldn’t help but think about what Buttons whispered in his ear.

                “ _You ain’t the only wolf here, Davey._ ”


	4. it's bound to take your life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brooklyn causes trouble, Buttons suffers, and the Author finally puts OCs in their fanfics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Light swearing, mention of death, mention of blood, injury.
> 
>  
> 
> (I'm kind of proud of this, but I'm also not. I mean, it's okay, but I feel like I could've done better, y'know?)
> 
> (So, my Brooklyn boys. I've made multiple Newsies OCs, but these two are the first ones I've actually put in a fanfic.
> 
> Smoke  
> -He's Irish.  
> -His family came to the U.S. in 1894.  
> -He had to become a newsie in 1896 because his family's house burned down.  
> -The small building collapsed while he was still in it.  
> -He likes to tell exaggerated stories of how he got out alive.  
> -The other boys joke with him and say that the amount of smoke he's inhaled over the years from cigars made him invincible.  
> -He likes doing impressions. (He imitates Spot when he isn't around to make the smaller kids laugh.)  
> -He has no patience for bullshit.
> 
> Texas  
> -He's from, you guessed it, Texas.  
> -He was abused throughout his childhood until he ran away.  
> -He made it all the way to New York, where he decided to stay.  
> -He loves it so much more than Texas.  
> -There's just something about big, loud cities that make him feel at home.  
> -The boys call him Texas because his Southern accent still comes through sometimes.  
> -Sometimes it sounds like he's been in New York all of his life.  
> -Other times it's a weird mixture of both accents and he just has to take a moment to get his voice straight.  
> -He has a soft spot for large dogs. (He doesn't like small ones.)

                “Davey, now’d be a really good time for you to get angry.”

                “That’s not exactly how it works, Jack.”

                “Well, it worked for them!”

                There stood Jack, Davey, Race, Albert, Specs, and Buttons on Brooklyn territory with two angry werewolves threatening them. They went for a card game and things had quickly gone south when they were accused of cheating.

_“That ain’t right!” Smoke, a Brooklyn newsie, exclaimed after the Manhattan newsies had won the game._

_“Whatcha talkin’ about, Smoke?” Race questioned as he gathered the cards._

_“There ain’t no way they won!”_

_“You accusin’ us of cheatin’?” Albert crossed his arms over his chest and stepped closer to Smoke._

_“Al, don’t.” The rest of them didn’t sense anything other than the obvious tension, but Davey could tell that something was up with Smoke._

_“Damn right I am, ‘hattan!” Smoke replied, copying Albert’s actions._

_“Smoke, c’mon. It don’t matter.” Race fiddled with the stack of cards in his hands as he cautiously watched the scene unfold._

_“The hell you means, ‘it don’t matter’?” Texas, another Brooklyn newsie, stepped in._

_“It wasn’t even a real game. It was just for fun. I doesn’t see why it matters.” Race shrugged, putting the cards in his left pocket while retrieving a cigar out of another._

_“Yeah, boys. It was just for fun. Relax.” Jack agreed, grabbing the back of Albert’s vest and lightly tugging him backward._

_That’s when things went downhill. Texas strode toward Jack and lifted him up by the collar of his shirt, holding him against the wall of the building next to them._

_“You don’t get to tell me to relax, Kelly. You ain’t my boss.” Suddenly, Texas’s green eyes turned gold and his grip on Jack increased._

_“I knew it,” Davey whispered to himself and turned to Smoke to see that his eyes were gold as well, though he hadn’t moved away from his staring match with Albert._

_“Davey, what’s goin’ on?” Specs moved closer to Davey, as did Buttons._

_“If we get angry enough, we can force a shift. It can be beneficial in a dire situation, but the catch is that we’ll be feral. We won’t stop until whatever made us angry is…” Davey didn’t finish his explanation, but Specs could fill in the blanks._

_“Davey, now’d be a really good time for you to get angry.” Jack glanced over at the small group before returning his attention to Texas._

_“That’s not exactly how it works, Jack,” Davey responded, eyes flicking between Albert and Jack._

_“Well, it worked for them!” Jack exclaimed._

                “I mean, that’s not exactly how it works for me! You know I don’t get angry easily unless it’s the day of a full moon.”

                “You could try!” Jack tried to wiggle out of Texas’s grip, but couldn’t.

                Even if Davey could do something, it wasn’t happening soon, so Race stepped over and put a hand on Texas’s shoulder. “Alright, Tex. Let’s just take a-”

                Texas released Jack, but only so that he could throw a punch at Race. The force threw Race backward a few feet into the side of another building.

                “Race!” Albert exclaimed. He broke the staring match and tackled Smoke. Albert was winning for a few seconds until Smoke recovered and rolled over to where he was on top of Albert. Hands were flying and within a few seconds, claws were brought into the mix. Race eventually got back up and immediately threw himself at Smoke.

                Meanwhile, Jack was struggling to keep Texas’s arms pinned to the wall. Sure, he was strong, but Texas was stronger. After a bit of struggle, Texas broke out of Jack’s grip and sent him flying like he did Race.

                “I can’t stand here and do nothin’.” Specs left the small group and went after Texas. Davey and Buttons stood there watching the fight helplessly.

                “They won’t be able to hold them off for long, Dave. ‘Specially if they fully turn.” There was something weird in Buttons’ voice, almost like he was begging for Davey to do something instead of suggesting they do it together.

                “I know. Buttons, we have to do it.”

                “That’s the thing. I wasn’t completely honest with you that night.”

                “Well, now’s a fantastic time to tell me.” Davey scoffed and stared at the other boy in disbelief.

                “I am a wolf; I know that for sure. I just…I ain’t turned yet. I only have one wolf parent. It always takes longer for it to kick in for us.”

                Davey closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. “Do you…think you could trigger it?”

                “I don’t know, Dave. I ain’t never tried.” Buttons glanced back and forth between the fights and Davey with wide eyes.

                “What makes you angry?”

                “Angry? I…” He trailed off and closed his eyes. Davey watched as Buttons went slightly red and his breathing increased. After a few seconds, Buttons popped one eye open and raised an eyebrow.

                “Didn’t work,” Davey responded.

                “Davey, you need to help them.” Buttons huffed in frustration.

                “We’d work better as a te-”

                “Go help them, Davey! I’ll work on this.”

                Davey looked at the fights, then Buttons, and finally closed his eyes. His face slightly scrunched up and a cross between a growl and a groan tore out of his throat. He opened his eyes and turned to Buttons, who gave him a thumbs-up to tell him that it worked. He immediately went over to Jack and Specs to help them out.

                “He makes it look so easy.” Buttons sighed and started anxiously chewing on his lip. He closed his eyes and tried again, but it wouldn’t work. What made him angry? His living situation, his friends’ living situation, the fact that he never truly had a childhood, the fact that his friends had never truly had… _his friends._ That was it. He reopened his eyes. He looked back and forth at the fights, paying close attention to his friends. Specs was fighting blindly, his glasses having been broken minutes before. Jack was obviously more interested in protecting his brothers than fighting a fellow newsie, so he was purposely taking a lot of hits. His shirt was ripped in multiple places, scratches littered his skin, and Buttons could see a bruise forming around his right eye. Davey was trying his hardest to keep Texas off of Specs and Jack, but even with his increased strength, it was obvious it wasn’t easy. Albert was tiredly throwing punches at Smoke, but the werewolf was preoccupied with keeping Race pinned down to the ground. Race was definitely fighting back, but Buttons could see a small pool of blood underneath him that came from a deep gash in his side. His froze up as he stared at the wound and remembered what Davey had said earlier.

 _“We won’t stop until whatever made us angry is…”_ Dead. They won’t stop until they’re dead. Buttons couldn’t bear the thought. His friends could die and he was just standing there watching. His friends could die and it’d be his fault.

                Suddenly, unimaginable pain rushed through his body. Buttons’ hands flew up to his hair and he tugged on the strands as he sank down to his knees. A feeling of warmth began in between his shoulder blades and spread across his entire body. The terrifying images of his friends dying flashed through his mind and it seemed as though it wouldn’t stop. The pain and heat increased by the second until Buttons couldn’t take it anymore.

                “Stop! Stop it! Make it stop!” He screamed. They all froze for a few seconds, then went immediately back to fighting.

                The pain, heat, and images wouldn’t stop. _“Why won’t it stop!?”_ He clenched his jaw and whined as he felt a twinge of pain in his hands. He looked down and saw claws where his fingernails were. Something in him flipped. Texas and Smoke were the enemies. He couldn’t stop until they were both dead.

                Buttons let out a loud snarl and pushed himself to his feet. He made his way over to Smoke and lunged. They both rolled until Buttons came out on top and immediately started pummeling and clawing Smoke in the face. When Buttons went to throw his (possibly) tenth hit, Smoke caught his fist. He threw Buttons off of him and was on top of him in seconds, totally forgetting about Race and Albert.

                All of a sudden, Smoke was ripped off of him and he heard multiple whines and yelps. He sat up quickly and saw Spot Conlon dragging both Smoke and Texas away by their ears. However, that meant they weren’t dead. They had to be dead. Buttons scrambled to his feet and tried to run toward them, but he was caught by the collar and pushed up against a wall. He nearly attached his claws to the person’s face before he realized it was Specs.

                “Calm down, Ben.” He said softly, using Buttons’ real name instead of his nickname.

                “Specs, let me go. I gotta-“

                “You gotta calm down. It’s over, alright? Those boys ain’t gonna be a problem no more. Spot’s makin’ sure of that. We’re all alright. Just minor injuries. You can calm down.”

                Buttons shook his head. “Race.” He whispered. Specs looked over and saw a very blurry Albert trying to stanch the blood flow coming out of Race’s wound.

                “Shit.” Specs whispered. He was trying to decide what to do when a hand was softly placed on his shoulder. He looked behind him and saw that the hand belonged to Davey. Davey gave him a small smile and a nod and Specs released Buttons in order to go to Race. Davey took his place, but simply put his hands on Buttons’ shoulders instead of pinning him to the wall.

                “He’ll be okay, Buttons. We all will. You can calm down now. I’m sorry it had to happen like this, but I’m proud of you.”

 

*** 

 

                Buttons woke up in a bunk next to Albert. He quietly slipped out of the bed so he didn’t wake him up, then walked to the back of the room. Race was sleeping soundly and his wound had been dressed with bandages from their medical kit. Davey sat on the end of the bunk, his face buried in a book.

                “Where’s the rest of the guys?” Buttons whispered.

                “Selling. They’ll be back in a few hours. You’ve slept through most of the day.” Davey memorized his page number and put his book down.

                “You guys could’ve woken me up.”

                “Nope. _You_ needed that rest after last night. Race is here for obvious reasons. Albert is second on the worst-injuries-scale. Jack is third, but you know how stubborn he is. He insisted on going to sell. I’m here because I also needed the rest, plus someone had to be here in case one of you woke up.”

                “What about Specs? Can he see yet?”

                “Yeah. He had an extra pair in here, so he’s good.”

                They stood there in silence before Buttons got tired of Davey staring at him.

                “I’m fine, Dave. Honestly.”

                “I shouldn’t have pressured you into it, Buttons.”

                “It was my choice. I could’ve just stood there.”

                “But-”

                “My choice, Davey. Don’t blame yourself. Besides, I’ve been waitin’ for it to happen for the past few months. Every full moon, I feel this ache in my body and it just keeps gettin’ stronger.”

                “Yeah, it probably would’ve happened soon. What, uh, what made it kick in, may I ask?”

                Buttons looked away, then focused on the floor. “I saw Race layin’ there and I saw the rest of you gettin’ your asses handed to you. I remembered what you said about feral wolves and I just…lost it. Davey, is that what it feels like every time?”

                Davey sighed and stood up. “I’m going to be honest with you, Buttons. When you fully turn, it’s worse. Much worse. It doesn’t get better, either. You just kind of get used to it over time. I’m still not used to it if the last full moon is any evidence of that.”

                Buttons bit his lip and nodded, then threw his arms around Davey and hugged tightly. Davey smiled softly and returned the hug. “Thank you, Davey.”

                “You’re welcome, Buttons.”

                They broke apart when they heard a knock on the open door to the bunkroom. It was Spot Conlon with Smoke and Texas.

                “Spot.” Davey gave him a nod.

                “David.” Spot returned the nod. “We caught Kelly and Specs on the way over here, so we’ve already talked to them, but my boys has somethin’ to say.”

                Smoke and Texas looked everywhere aside from Davey and Buttons. “We’s sorry for startin’ a fight.” They mumbled in unison.

                “Man, there is nothin’ better than hearin’ an apology when you wakes up in the mornin’. You boys want to repeat that?” Albert smirked as he stretched his body.

                “We’s sorry for startin’ a fight.” They repeated.

                “And?” Albert gestured for them to continue.

                “We’s sorry for nearly killin’ your friend.”

                “ _And?”_

                “Don’t push your luck, DaSilva.” Smoke spat.

                “ _Smoke,”_ Spot warned.

                Smoke groaned and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’s sorry for accusin’ you of cheatin’.

                “There we go. Was that hard? Apology accepted. Goodnight, boys.” Albert threw the thin blanket back over himself and turned over on his side.

                “Thank you. Now, go into the hallway so the adults can have a conversation.” Spot’s joke was laced with real frustration. Smoke and Texas left the room and closed the door behind them. Spot crossed his arms over his chest and strolled over to the bunk Race was in. “He gonna be okay?”

                “As long as it doesn’t get infected,” Davey answered.

                “It won’t…turn him or anythin’, will it?”

                “No, only bites can turn a human into a werewolf. As long as he wasn’t bitten, he’s good.”

                Spot nodded and watched the steady rise and fall of Race’s chest for a few moments, then turned back to face Davey and Buttons. “When he wakes up, tell him that the boys apologized and that I hope he gets better soon.”

                “Why don’t you just tell him yourself?” Race questioned. Spot whipped around to see the other boy looking at him with a smirk on his face. “Heya, Spottie. Miss me?” Race winked at him.

                “We just saw each other yesterday. A good hour or two before you got mauled.”

                “I feel like shit.” Race chuckled.

                “You look like it, too,” Spot responded.

                Buttons threw an arm around Davey’s shoulders and started to walk him out of the room.

                “Where you goin’?” Spot questioned.

                “We’s givin’ you lovebirds some alone time!” Buttons chirped, then looked back and stuck his tongue out at Race. They exited the room and closed the door behind them, then went downstairs and sat in the main room. “I know I already said this, Dave, but thank you.”

                “No problem, Buttons.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, well, that's it. That's the end. I might write more, just because I'm a hoe for werewolves, but it won't be on this story. If I do write more, it'll probably be put into a series. Alright, let's get to the good part. Originally, the last chapter was going to be totally different. It was originally just going to be a short little thing where Davey and Buttons discuss werewolf things and such, but I wasn't proud of it whatsoever. I wasn't getting into it and it was very boring to read, so I scrapped it and combined it with an idea I had for another story. However, there's one thing that I love that was in the original: Buttons has a little sister and he makes dolls for her.


End file.
